But after she found an open package of Black Magic, a synthetic cannabis also known as spice, and discovered text messages on his phone, she figured out he was using the dangerous drug that wouldn't be detected on the urinalysis test he had to take while he was on probation. The texts connected Zach Ferguson to Tobacco King in Longmont.

Two days later, Ferguson, who lives in Loveland and works in Boulder, decided she had to act. Instead of going to work, she drove to the smoke shop on North Main Street in Longmont.

"I just felt as if I had to do something that morning," Ferguson testified Tuesday in the criminal case against Sung Leaming, 27. Leaming, the owner of Tobacco King, is charged with distribution of synthetic cannabis and possession with intent to distribute synthetic cannabis. If he is convicted, he could face a prison sentence of one to three years.

When questioned by prosecutor Fred Johnson, Ferguson said she has actively worked to stop other stores from selling spice because she wants to protect other families.

"It turned our family upside down, and I felt I could lose my son," Ferguson testified. Zach Ferguson, who is now 20, has been sober for 150 days, she said.

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Ferguson visited Tobacco King on July 10, 2012. After looking around a bit, she asked the clerk — Leaming's mother, attorneys said Monday — for cigars "and could I get a little bit of Black Magic," she testified.

When the clerk sold her the illegal drug, Ferguson took a photo of the transaction and called Longmont police, she testified.

"Isn't it true that you might have exaggerated some of your testimony?" he asked.

"No, it's not true," Ferguson replied.

"Isn't it true that she didn't really sell it to you?" he asked.

"No, that's not true," Ferguson responded.

"Isn't it true that this is an example of your exaggerating to protect your son?" he asked.

"No," Ferguson said.

"Isn't it true that they sold you cigars but refused to sell you spice?" Bagley asked.

Not true, she said.

Bagley played for the jury a recording of Ferguson's call to police, to show that she did not tell the 911 operator that the Tobacco King clerk sold her spice.

In the call, Ferguson said, "The owner is selling illegal drugs here. ... I just want someone to come check it out. ... I came to see if they would sell it to me and they had it behind the counter."

Longmont police removed from the store 51 packets of product believed to be spice, according to a lawsuit the Colorado Attorney General's Office filed against Leaming in September 2013. Leaming was arrested the same day he was served with the lawsuit.

Department of Revenue investigators confiscated several boxes of various spice products from Tobacco King on June 28, 2012, according to the lawsuit. Of the five products tested, three were synthetic cannabis and a fourth contained amphetamines, the lawsuit stated.